Oddities, musings and news from the health world

When the question about healthcare overhaul is simply: 'What about me?'

July 7, 2010 | 10:37
am

"The most common question people have about health reform is 'How will I be affected?' The answer, of course, depends on the individual, as different demographic groups will be affected very differently." So begins a series of briefs from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The briefs, released Tuesday, analyze the expected impact of the healthcare overhaul on young adults, children, older people and (sort of) people who buy insurance on the individual or small-group market. The latter is a bit too complex to easily distill, it seems.

The summaries are not what you would call light reading (and can we have a motion to ban the abbreviation PPACA?), but they are informative. And, of course, brief

(PPACA stands for Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- what most people call the health overhaul or health reform law -- and it's likely something of a deterrent to consumers looking for straightforward, easy-to-understand information.)

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: Overall, the nation's seniors will see prescription drug coverage improve, the analysis says. But some will also see the premiums increase. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times